


and if it was, he would face the truth

by clementiine



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Related, Multi, New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, Post-Canon, i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 23:07:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17150795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clementiine/pseuds/clementiine
Summary: It was strange how surreal the sunlight felt as it broke through the glass, surreal and bizarre and nearly incomprehensible. Which was strange in itself, wasn’t it? The thing that made it strange, he guessed, was the lack of the bars. The lack of the cage surrounding the whole school, the fact that it was no longer there -- that the sunlight was no longer something that had to reach inside on all the prisoners of the school. That must have been what made the sun’s warmth so strange, so surreal as they stepped out of the rubbleFor whatever reason, though, he wanted to believe in the scene lay out before him.- - -Merry Christmas, Ollie! I hope you enjoy <33





	and if it was, he would face the truth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [urachakoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/urachakoo/gifts).



It was strange, was Saihara’s first thought.

 

It was strange how surreal the sunlight felt as it broke through the glass, surreal and bizarre and nearly incomprehensible. Which was strange in itself, wasn’t it? It shouldn’t be that hard to fathom, to comprehend such a thing, especially not something he was so used to seeing, anyway. It’s not as though he’d never felt the sun on his face before, nor felt the heat warm him up. He had seen the sun many times before, too. Each day he would walk out of the dormitories -- the dormitories over there, there by the stairs that led to -- that used to lead to the lower half of the courtyard. He’d feel the sun, Saihara would feel it and see it and feel its warmth and honestly detest it at times when he would train with his two friends (“Eh? But the sun’s good for ya, Shuuichi! Come on, embrace it! I’m gonna see it from space one day, too.” Momota would say, he knew he would, which is why he didn’t voice his resentment out loud.)

 

The thing that made it strange, he guessed, was the lack of the bars. The lack of the cage surrounding the whole school, the fact that it was no longer there -- that the sunlight was no longer something that had to reach inside on all the prisoners of the school. That must have been what made the sun’s warmth so strange, so surreal as they stepped out of the rubble. What made it so different from the dozens of times he’d walked out into the sunlight before. Where there was once bars and the hopeless feeling that they’d never get to escape, a wide hole now took their place, the sun beaming brightly upon the three of them through it, and on the remains of what was once Saishuu Academy. That’s what was so strange, Saihara concluded. That he no longer had to look the sun as a captive; now he could reach out for the freedom just beyond the remains of the wall.

 

It wasn't just the sun that felt strange. It was the whole area, the whole state of their situation that felt completely and utterly surreal. Trying to comprehend that they were no longer trapped and under Shirogane and the audience's control...saying it was difficult would be an understatement. No, it felt  _ impossible  _ to believe, to fully put his faith in. Believing that they were truly free seemed like another one of the game's lies, another one of its tricks. He could imagine Ouma now, smiling unnervingly as always, as he raises a finger to his lips. "A lie like one of my own, Saihara-chan? Gee, it'd be cruel if you'd just managed to escape only to fall back down again, huh!...but that's something you should find out for yourself, don't you think?" It was. Whether it was real or not, Saihara had to find out on his own...well, not entirely on his own.

 

For whatever reason, though, he wanted to believe in the scene lay out before him. He wanted to believe that he, Harukawa, and Yumeno really were free, that they were no longer confined within the killing game they had been dragged into (or signed up for. Even now, he still couldn't discern fiction from reality, and he only had his faith.) But he wanted to believe. He wanted to put his trust in the possibility that the game had ended. That Danganronpa was over. He wouldn't...call it hope, per say. He had no care for hope, nor did he care about despair. But he did have faith, and he did believe in himself and the other two beside him, that maybe, just maybe this was the truth. And if it was, he would face the truth like encouraged to once before.

 

He takes a step forward, legs shaking and unsure beneath him, bruised from nearly being crushed underneath the debris.  _ Nearly _ _. _ Because somehow, somehow they had managed to survive the hellish execution, avoid ending up like...(how plain of a death, she would say, compared to the other executions in the game. But then again, she never was one that stood out, was she?) He flexes his fingers in front of him, and they move accordingly, each muscle working properly. Like little puppets on strings. How they had managed to avoid getting crushed...Saihara had suspicions, suspicions which brought the tiniest of smiles to his face. The thought that they had purposely been left to live, for whatever reason, as though one final favour from a friend.

 

"--nghhh!" He blinks and turns, seeing Harukawa struggle to pull something...no, some _ one _ out from beneath a rather large piece of debris. Saihara reaches a hand out, and grabs a hold of the other one sticking out from between the rubble. He and Harukawa heave at the same time, pulling Yumeno out, the magician mumbling a thanks before dusting off her skirt. It was quiet for a while, the three of them staring up at the sky, each thinking to themselves. Saihara couldn't tell what the other two girls were thinking, though if he had to guess...it would be the same kind of thoughts he was having at the moment (that was worded rather strangely, huh..? He couldn't begin to think of what Iruma would say. Some parts of the inventor were hard to comprehend, even in death.) That's what Saihara was thinking of, anyway, and he thought he knew his friends well enough to assume what their thoughts were about, as well.

 

“...this is it, then?” Harukawa is the first one to break the silence, different from long-past encounters, always staying quiet in the shadows. “We’ve actually managed to...end the games.” She folds her arms over her chest, staring out across the land before her. “Nyeh...it looks like it. I mean...w-we did it, right?” Yumeno speaks with hints of enthusiasm, something Saihara still has yet to get used to, but not something that goes unappreciated. They had both changed, he concludes, changed from the start compared to now. He found himself smiling a bit more at the fact. Yumeno was still expressing herself more clearly, trying to be more active, more awake, more empathetic. It was quite a change from the normally half-asleep magician they knew, the girl who found interacting too tiring. While it was not a recent change, it still caught Saihara off-guard each time she spoke (but he was sure that a certain Neo-Aikido master would be quite proud of her and how much she’s grown...figuratively speaking.)

 

“We did, Himiko.” Harukawa rests her hand on Yumeno’s head, giving her a small pat with the famous hat in her other hand. The shorter girl’s cheeks flush slightly at being referred to by her first name (something that’s only ever been done by Angie, as far as Saihara was aware. Though, then again, Angie referred to everyone by their first names, something that got Saihara flustered one too many times, but didn’t necessarily mind after some time.) Harukawa has a small smile on her face, and Saihara feels a small flutter in his chest. Harukawa had changed greatly, too. She was learning to accept herself more and more, and learning to befriend those around her and trust them, and while she still had a way to go, Saihara was proud of her, he was happy for her and happy that she could look at him and Yumeno and consider them as people she could put her faith in, as friends and maybe something more.

 

“...I guess the only thing left to do now is find out what’s waiting for us past this wall, huh.” He stares, stares at the wide hole where the sun shines through, and he thinks hard about everything they’ve learned. About everything he’s learned. He’s changed too, hasn’t he? He...didn’t hide anymore. He didn’t hide, and he didn’t avoid seeking out the truth, or saying things that needed to be said. Saihara guessed he was more confident in himself, too, but it wasn’t something he’d managed to accomplish on his own. He’d needed a push from his friends, from those he cared about, despite desperately wanting to avoid it in the first place (and he was grateful for the push, for the encouragement and for all the love and kindness he’d received. He was thankful, and he wouldn’t ever forget it, Kaede.) The person that stood in his place was so very different from the man he was at the beginning, and he had no one to thank but those beside him.

 

“--Saihara?” He’s startled as a hand is placed on his shoulder, and he turns to see Harukawa and Yumeno looking up at him, the former keeping her hand where it was. “What do you think is waiting for us..?” Yumeno holds her hat, gripping it tightly, and while her body language is nervous Saihara can tell she’s not going to turn away from whatever’s waiting. “...I don’t know,” he admits with a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s...a mystery, really. Though, I think whatever it is, the three of us can handle it together.” Harukawa gives him a smile, and Yumeno visibly relaxes at his words, slipping her hat back on. “Nyeh...we can! That’s right, Saihara-kun! Yeah, Makiroll?” Harukawa’s expression falters for a moment, and Yumeno seems uncertain, and Saihara’s a little worried too, wondering if--

 

“Yeah, Himiko. Saihara’s right.” Her smile returns, and she moves her hand from the detective’s shoulder to intertwine with his own, while her other hand reaches to hold Yumeno’s. “Whatever’s waiting, we’ll be more than ready for it. It’ll be an adventure.” Saihara has to reach up to his eyes with his free hand for a moment, before he looks back at the remains of the cage wall before them. “An adventure the three of us will take on.” They take their steps forward, ready for whatever awaits them (and perhaps it would be a fun adventure, an exciting mystery, and he can imagine the green-haired mystery himself winking at him.) The sun still felt strange -- everything was still really strange, actually, and he wasn’t entirely sure what to trust. 

 

But if anything, he knew he could trust the two beside him. 

**Author's Note:**

> was originally a secret santa gift.


End file.
